Overview

The XLP 16-bit Energy Harvesting Development Kit is a true development platform for realizing energy harvesting applications. The Microchip nanoWatt XLP PIC MCUs are ideal for these low power applications with sleep currents down to 20nA, active mode currents down to 50uA/MHz, code execution efficiency, and multiple wake-up sources. Powered only by light, the XLP kit enables rapid prototyping of low power applications such as RF sensors, temperature/environmental sensors, utility meters, remote controls, and security sensors to name just a few. For software development and programming, the kit includes the PICkit 3 programmer/debugger for use with the Microchip’s free MPLAB™ Integrated Development Environment.

The power for the kit is supplied by Cymbet’s EVAL-08 Solar Energy Harvester. The harvester features a high-efficiency solar panel suitable for use with indoor or outdoor light. The harvester captures, manages, and stores energy in two Cymbet EnerChip™ thin-film rechargeable energy storage devices. The EnerChips supply energy to the XLP development board when light is not available.

Power condition and capacity are monitored by the PIC24F using Energy Aware software algorithms developed by Microchip and Cymbet. The monitored information can be reported to the PC user interface via a USB connection. This allows for experimentation and balancing of energy collection vs. energy use, maximizing the benefits of the harvested energy.